Adapting Recipes To A Low Fat Lifestyle

by Ronda Gates - author of Smart Eating

The media reports Americans are weary and wary of recommendations to eat in a more healthy way. I believe most hear, "eliminate the fat and sugar in the diet" when, in fact, the recommendation is to reduce it.

Small changes in your cooking habits can make a significant difference in your total fat, sugar and fiber intake. For example, you can cut the oil in most recipes to 1/2 the original amount without changing the taste. Using mustard on a sandwich instead of mayonnaise will save you about 88 calories of fat per tablespoon.

Substituting 1 cup of non fat yogurt for sour cream in a salad dressing base saves 700 fat calories! To find your own successes combine a dash of imagination and creativity with ingredients. See the list below.

*INSTEAD OF USING*	*SUBSTITUTE*
Bacon	Canadian bacon, turkey based sausage
Beef broth	Vegetable stocks
Beef Frank	Chicken or Turkey frank
Bologna/Frankfurter/Sausage	Chicken/Turkey/Lean, thinly-sliced beef
Brownie	2 vanilla wafers
Butter on toast	Apple butter, preserves
Butter on vegetables	Molly McButter, Yogurt sauces, spices/herbs
Cakes w/frosting	Angel food cake w/fresh fruit
Canned fruits	Canned in own juice, fresh fruits
Catsup	Tomato sauce
Cheesecake	Cheesecake made w/low fat cream cheese
Chicken w breast/skin	Chicken w/o breast/skin (4 grams)
Corn chips	Make your own tortilla chips
Cream based soups	Tomato based soups
Cream Cheese	Non fat cream cheese product, low/non fat yogurt
Cream	Skim milk or evaporated skim milk
Creamed cottage cheese	Low fat cottage cheese
Creamed vegetables	Seasoned vegetables
Eggs	Egg substitute, more whites, less yolks
French Toast	Pancake
Fried foods	Baked or broiled foods
Frozen custard	Frozen yogurt
Fudge Toping	Chocolate syrup, Vashon products
Glazed donut	Cake donut
Ground beef	Extra-lean ground beef
Hot fudge sundae	Frozen lowfat yogurt with fruit
Ice Cream	Ice Milk
Ice Cream	Ice milk, Non fat frozen yogurt
Jams & Syrups	Unsweetened berries
Mayonnaise	Reduced fat mayonnaise, Low fat yogurt, buttermilk
Mayonnaise	Light & Lively, Fat free mayonnaise "products"
Nuts as snacks	Pretzels, Plain popcorn w low fat seasonings
Oil for sautéing	Water
Oil in quick breads	Fruit juice or nectar or sparkling water
Oreos/Chocolate chip cookies	Animal crackers, vanilla wafers, graham crk
Pan Drippings	Bouillon
Peanuts	Water chestnuts
Pecan pie	Custard pie
Pie crusts	Crushed bran chex, shredded wheat, whole wheat cracker
Pie crusts for quiches	Cooked brown rice brushed w/egg white
Popcorn in oil	Low fat popcorn; Popcorn popped in air
Potato chips	Popcorn Light in fat substitutes/Pretzels
Ramen Pork Noodles	Chicken Noodle Soup (6 grams)
Refined flour	Whole wheat flour
Regular salad dressing	Reduce calorie/non fat dressings/Lemon juice
Ritz crackers, Waverly crackers	Whole grain crackers
Salt	Herbs & Spices
Snickers Bar	Three Musketeers Bar (5 gms)
Sour Cream	Nonfat and low fat yogurt, non fat - low fat cottage cheese
Sour Cream	non fat sour cream, mock sour cream
Sugar or honey	Apple or pineapple juice, boiled down to syrup
Sugared cereals	Puffed wheat, rice, Cheerios & higher fiber cereals
Tang	Fresh orange or juice
Typical ice cream bar	frozen fruit juice bar
Whipped cream	Whipped chilled evaporated skim milk
White rice	Brown rice, wild rice
Whole milk	2% milk, 1% milk, Skim milk